While a portion of Disney Interactive's video game adaptation will follow the events of the animated movie, its Toy Box mode will allow players to create their own adventures using the franchises iconic characters.

Props to developer Avalanche Software for thinking outside of the toy box. Or inside of the Toy Box. However you put it, adding an interactive sand box feature to the Toy Story 3 video game goes above and beyond what we've come to expect from movie tie-ins.

While the movie deals with children growing up and abandoning their childhood playthings, Toy Box mode is about recapturing the magic of sitting on your bedroom floor with a pile of plastic representations of cowboys, space men, and aliens, imagining grand adventures.

"Toy Story 3: The Video Game addresses a fact understood by every kid: imagination is what truly brings toys to life," said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager of Avalanche Software. "That's really what a toy box is about. We remember that kind of play from our own childhood, and it's where we began as game designers. With this title, we want to encourage and reward creativity in others."

It sounds like an excellent example of going beyond the source material, in a way that's wholly appropriate to the film series' themes.

Toy Story 3 will be arriving in stores on June 15th for the Wii, PlayStation 3, PC, Xbox 360, DS, and PSP.